Prince of the Wild [Link x Male!Reader]

Chapter 6 - The Lord of Akkala

"Officer present, a-teeeen-tion!!" The company snapped into formation with a synchronized salute.

"At ease," you ordered as you strode through the parade grounds in the shadow of the Akkala Citadel. You were dressed in your more casual regalia today, visiting a place near and dear to your heart. "How goes the training today, Captain Russell?"

"Fair, your majesty. Preparing to begin survival training down at Malin Bay."

"Fantastic, your soldiers are in for a treat," you grinned. "Don't let me keep you. As you were."

"Sir!"

You sensed Link walk up behind you. "So, hell week at Malin Bay?" He asked.

"It's effective training, one of the best classes. I'm sure it has been essential to our soldiers."

"Didn't stop you from complaining."

"Hey, better them than me," you laughed, remembering the week of freezing water and mud. You led Link to a small doorway at the base of the mountain. "This is your first time inside the Citadel isn't it?"

"Yeah. Never expected it to be this big."

"I have to admit it's a bit excessive, but it was a political move. My ancestor, King Daphnes III, built the Citadel in the Time of Falling Rain. Our power in East Hyrule was not well enforced. He hoped for better defenses against threats from the Great Sea... and it was a bit of a show of power to the Gorons."

"The Gorons were a threat?" Link was shocked, especially considering the many Gorons walking through the halls of the Citadel now.

"It's a long story and not a pleasant piece of history," a gregarious voice called. The Goron Champion Daruk stomped in. "What's more important is moving on from that past."

"Daruk's right," you added. "I've been trying to change the Citadel's reputation by asking Goron engineers to help rebuild the oldest sections. We've even installed new cannon batteries strong enough to blast a Lynel to pieces. Outside of Hyrule Castle, this fort will be the safest place for those fleeing the Calamity."

"Your majesty," Daruk added, "we finished the, uh, you-know-what."

"The you-know-what...? Oh! Link, you'll like this!" You took his hand without thinking and pulled him into the great hall.

"Alright, brothers!" Daruk called. "Let's show 'em!"

Gorons pulled back a few curtains. Light streamed in from special skylights and refracted through crystals to light up the hall as bright as day, despite there being very few windows. The light bounced back into one giant crystal that split the light and bounced it off of mirrors. These mirrors lit up several stained-glass portraits, depicting the great heroes of Hyrule's past, from the Hero of the Picori to the Hero of Twilight. Your royal guard snapped to attention as you entered, relaxing slightly with a wave of your hand. "What do you think?"

Link's eyes sparkled. You found it hard to believe that the little boy you once saw at Telma's place was now a young man of seventeen. "It's beautiful, just like the Sanctum. And you get to live here?"

"Only after my sister's coronation." It was only proper for you to live somewhere else once Queen Zelda XXI – or was it XXII? – took the throne. It seemed a lifetime away, as you were nearly eighteen and your sister almost seventeen. "Besides, it will be far easier for me to promote economic development in Akkala from here. Plus, I can always meet with the Gorons and the Zora. Being Lord of Akkala has its privileges."